Maarouf: Blocking entry of aid into Gaza means using starvation as weapon of war against its people

GAZA, March 02 (YPA) – The occupation’s announcement of halting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip is yet another confirmation of its failure to uphold its commitments and its evasion of obligations under the ceasefire agreement, Salama Maarouf,  head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said in  a statement on Sunday.

He added that “this announcement reflects its ugly criminal face and constitutes a continuation of the genocide against our people, as well as an act of blackmail targeting an entire population by depriving them of food, water, and medicine.”

“The Israeli occupation once again ignores int’l law and blocking entry of aid means using starvation as a war against the people of Gaza, who rely entirely on humanitarian assistance for their survival due to the collapse of all work and production sectors as a result of the occupation’s atrocities,” he said.

He continued: “From the very first day, we warned of the dangers of remaining silent about the occupation’s violations and the lack of pressure on it. Its daily and systematic breaches of the agreement have so far resulted in the martyrdom of over a hundred Palestinians in Gaza. Moreover, the obstruction of humanitarian protocols, the prevention of the entry of shelter and relief supplies, and the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continue unabated.”

Maarouf called on the mediators, as guarantors, to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations under the agreement in all its phases, implement the humanitarian protocol, and allow the entry of shelter and relief supplies, as well as rescue equipment and machinery into Gaza.

He also demand a unified Arab and Islamic stance and a firm international position to pressure the occupation and its supporters to stop this latest crime—another crime against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide through starvation, targeting over 2.4 million people.

@E.Y.M